[noelherrick]

I have no idea who makes the final call, but NASA has shown they too were willing to jeopardize the life of their crew once budget cuts had removed any margins for them. I'm also not saying that Elon has made bad safety calls, but what I am saying is the Elon has every incentive in the world to push past safety concerns. Worst that can happen for him is he'll have to give an apology and payout $X0m. We also have to be a bit concerned because there are reports that Elon thinks he's ensuring humanity's survival. I do not trust someone who thinks that his mission is existential despite no evidence that a standalone Mars colony is possible. Bad incentives are present for the NASA admin too: worst that can happen is perhaps having to resign. The astronauts die, their kids don't have a parent, their partners have to bury them.